Up went the drones, and then, suddenly, down went the drones. A frequency conflict resulted in the team losing control of their devices, only to watch them crash back to earth, many of them destroyed. As their district鈥檚 superintendent and other attendees of the Colorado Association of School Boards conference helped them literally pick up the pieces, the students were shocked. 

鈥淭he kids were crushed,鈥� said Joe McBreen, the assistant superintendent of innovation at the Longmont, Colorado, school district. 鈥淭hey felt like they failed their superintendent.鈥� 

When the students diagnosed the problem, they realized that linking the next set of drones to a secure certificate online would avoid the connection mishap. Nearly a year and 40 shows later, 鈥渢hey haven鈥檛 had a problem since,鈥� said McBreen. 

鈥淭ell me where kids can learn that lesson and which standardized test鈥� will mark that progress, said Axel Reitzig, the executive director of innovation for the 33,000-student district located 50 miles north of Denver. 

boldly claims its students 鈥渁re the future of America,鈥� and once you peek inside its 50,000 square-foot , that phrase seems less like a boast than a statement of fact. In addition to the district鈥檚 260 competitive robotics teams, there are groups of students raising an endangered species of frogs, another group building and designing airplanes, as well as students taking classes in artificial intelligence, cyber security and music innovation. 

St. Vrain鈥檚 has been honing its career technical education offerings for more than a decade, pushing not just new fields of study, but encouraging students to dive deeply into one or more career paths, with the goal of cultivating a hybrid set of skills that can set them up to thrive in a changing workforce. 

Career technical education is undergoing a renaissance, with 15% of high school classes in the U.S. offering students instruction that focuses on the skills and knowledge required for specific jobs or fields of work, according to a . This type of learning boosts student achievement, graduation rates, hirability, and college readiness, according to from the nonprofit American Institute for Research. 

While not all of St. Vrain鈥檚 Innovation Center classes and training fit the strict definition of career technical education, all of it has been created to help students 鈥渢est drive a career,鈥� Reitzig said.

The district appears to be on the right track. A recent survey of seniors at the Innovation Center showed that 98% of them correlated what they did in high school to what they hope to do as a career.

St. Vrain鈥檚 also has one of the in the state at 94.3% for 2023-24, well in front of the state鈥檚 average 84.2% rate. The district鈥檚 attendance for the topped 92%, again ahead of the state鈥檚 average. 

St. Vrain opened its 6,000-square-foot Innovation Center in 2014 with five staffers offering 10 classes that sought to teach high school students technical skills or project management experience in fields like robotics and coding. Three years and a successful bond measure later, the Innovation Center has mushroomed into a 50,000-square-foot 鈥渟andbox鈥� offering 70 classes to more than 1,200 students districtwide. A newly approved expansion will soon double the center鈥檚 size, Reitzig said.

The district鈥檚 philosophy is that students’ experiences should progress from exploration of various fields to education within those areas to real-world experience. Each of its 26 elementary schools, for example, has two annual field trips to the center, and high school students are encouraged to begin classes in one of 11 different focus areas as a freshman, allowing them to specialize by the time they graduate. The district even pays 200 students for work they complete after school for area companies, local government, or the district itself. 

鈥淭hese students are doing authentic work for real clients,鈥� Reitzig said. 鈥淭hey are going out and earning contracts.鈥� He added that this work, in some ways, can be more valuable than an internship because students get to lead projects and learn from their failures.

The center maintains a strong relationship with a variety of business owners and entrepreneurs in the greater Denver area. 

Mikki McComb-Kobza of first started working with St. Vrain students several years ago when she was seeking a way to verify the sizes of great white sharks without catching them. Students helped design a photography system using lasers to measure sharks underwater. 

Since then, the nonprofit鈥檚 CEO has seen students find 鈥渢heir passion and purpose鈥� through science experiments that have led to publishable research. 鈥淭hey allow students to get in the mud, next to other scientists,鈥� she added. The district is open to hearing suggestions on what she called 鈥渄ream moonshots鈥� in various conservation projects. 

鈥淎xel never says no,鈥� she added, referring to the district鈥檚 executive director of innovation.

The best example of this experimentation came when Mac Kobza, a senior wildlife biologist for Boulder County, asked the district鈥檚 students how they could help counter the declining number of Northern Leopard frogs, a species native to the area. After securing state approval, the district purchased tanks and set out to create a system to raise these frogs in captivity before releasing them into the wild. (Kobza and McComb-Kobza are married.) 

Because these frogs had never been raised in captivity before, the methods the students and scientists created would become a template for the future, if successful. Students and scientists worked side by side, Reitzig said, solving problems while fixing a community problem. The experiment was a success and the released frogs have started to self-populate again, Kobza said. 

This program not only incorporated bioscientific research, but it forced students to work through a maze of local and state approval processes while also dealing with private landowners. Students continue to monitor the water temperatures where the frogs live and stay in contact with area scientists and farmers. 鈥淭his is cutting edge environmental science,鈥� said Kobza. 

Even if a student鈥檚 work doesn鈥檛 lead directly to a career, they still pick up skills they can use in other jobs, said Hilary Sontag, the Innovation Center鈥檚 executive director of advancement and strategic partnerships. After a female student won a state championship in welding, Sontag asked her if she was planning on becoming a welder, a potentially lucrative career. The student quickly said no, but explained that she wanted to enter the military and train to become a cardiac surgeon. She said her welding experience would help sharpen her problem-solving chops and hone her motor skills. 

Another student, senior Mischa Nelson, began his work at the Innovation Center in cybersecurity, a field with a strong business representation in the greater Denver area. He took multiple classes, not only working with expensive machinery but also picking up industry recognized certifications. He landed a summer internship with a local software company. When that ended, the company asked him to stay on as an employee, helping it run a large experiment to test its data security measures. 

鈥淚鈥檓 working on a program with more than a million Social Security numbers in it,鈥� he said. 

But while Nelson continues to work for the cybersecurity company, he has broadened his Innovation Center studies to include entrepreneurship and AI. Through his AI work, he entered a NASA competition where he is trying to create a system that would offer astronauts immediate medical advice without requiring them to connect back to Earth. He credits his entrepreneurial classes with helping him develop time management skills and the confidence to present publicly to groups of people needed for this project. 

Once he graduates, he said he hopes to create and run control systems for industries that use robotics and computers in warehouses. 鈥淓verything I鈥檝e learned is completely relevant,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like we were doing old curriculum. You get to hone the way you want to go.鈥�

Career and technical education is a lot more than learning to weld or draw blood.

It can expose kids to jobs they didn鈥檛 even know existed and help them figure out what they want to do with their lives.

It can also teach students concrete skills they can use on the job right after they graduate high school. But high school programs haven鈥檛 always lined up well with what employers are looking for, or prepared students for jobs available in their communities.

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The Trump administration wants to see career and technical education, or CTE, focus more on preparing students for jobs. To do that, that have been under the Education Department鈥檚 purview for decades and moved them to the Labor Department, which has historically focused on short-term job training for unemployed adults.

Trump officials say the end goal is to boost participation in the labor force, especially for the millions of young adults . The change, they say, will reduce the administrative burden on states and make it easier for states to centralize their own workforce development programs.

Jason Tyszko, a senior vice president for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, said there could be some short-term disruption, as well as some hard questions to work through. But if the end result is more accountability for programs and more young people in jobs, that would be a 鈥渨in for families and learners.鈥�

鈥淲e think the more alignment, the better,鈥� Tyszko said.

But many career-technical education advocates, as well as Democrats in Congress, say this move is another step toward dismantling the Education Department. They fear there are simply too few staff in both the Education and Labor Departments to manage the transition, and they worry the change will end up steering kids toward short-term job training with fewer paths to advancement.

High school CTE programs can help create 鈥渁 springboard for lifelong opportunity,鈥� said Amy Loyd, who served as the assistant secretary over career and technical education during the Biden administration.

For example, students who take advanced manufacturing classes in high school can set themselves up for admission to a trade school, while teens who take college-level health care classes can often earn credit toward an associate or bachelor鈥檚 degree.

鈥淥ne of the challenges that we in the career and technical education community have been working to combat is the still-pervasive stigma of career and technical education being for 鈥榯hose kids,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚 think by focusing on the shorter-term credentials we are again rebuilding this narrative that CTE is for kids who are not college material.鈥�

Two agencies in charge of career-technical education

The Education Department says this change is in line with the calling for the consolidation of 鈥渇ragmented Federal workforce development programs that are too disconnected from propelling workers into secure, well-paying, and high-need American jobs.鈥�

In May, Trump officials that maintains the Education Department鈥檚 oversight authority for career-technical education, but hands over the day-to-day operations to the Labor Department. That includes distributing over $1 billion to states in Perkins funding, which pays for CTE programs in K-12 schools and community colleges, making compliance monitoring visits, and helping states and schools with technical questions.

this transfer of funds and responsibilities is illegal, and the proposal should have gone to Congress. Others in the career and technical education field say the Education and Labor Departments already work closely together and this move isn鈥檛 necessary to improve collaboration.

Anna Chappelle, the executive director of the Alabama Workforce Board, hopes what happens at the federal level resembles the transformation happening in her state. The share of young people who were not working or in school in Alabama was the highest in the nation in 2019, according to a .

In recent years, Alabama has , and has . In June, , who led that work under Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, as the second-in-command for CTE at the Education Department.

Alabama launched a state apprenticeship agency that . The state also for identifying which job credentials and career pathways are most valuable in different parts of the state 鈥� whether that鈥檚 the space industry in the north or the maritime industry in the south.

鈥淲hen we have this separation, that keeps states siloed,鈥� Chappelle said. 鈥淏eing able to have credentials of value and workforce pathways in Labor, that is going to help people get the education and training that they need.鈥�

She thinks the federal change will lead to more money for training and education programs, 鈥渞ather than the bureaucratic red tape.鈥�

But Loyd, who is now the CEO of All4Ed, a nonprofit that advocates for equity in education, worries there aren鈥檛 enough federal staffers left to provide the kind of 鈥減ersonalized and intensive鈥� guidance her team of 80 once did.

The office 鈥渨as really leaning into helping states think differently, to not just rubber stamp what always has been,鈥� Loyd said. 鈥淚 worry that all of that capacity-building, all of that partnership with the field, is ultimately hindered and gutted.鈥�

to the Labor Department, but how many is unclear. The Education Department did not respond to questions. Chalkbeat received out-of-office automatic replies from multiple spokespeople due to the government shutdown.

Some advocates fear states and schools won鈥檛 get clear answers to questions about whether new ideas are allowable under the law or how to make sure CTE programs serve all students.

鈥溾�嬧�婭f we had a question about kids with disabilities and CTE, we knew where to go,鈥� said Braden Goetz, who served in the CTE office during the Biden administration and is now a senior policy advisor at the Center on Education and Labor at New America, a left-leaning think tank. 鈥淚鈥檓 concerned that in the Department of Labor they won鈥檛 have those resources.鈥�

Some fear overemphasis on short-term job training

The Education Department has said its agreement with the Labor Department will integrate education and job training programs 鈥渨ith an employment first perspective, which places employers at the forefront of workforce development programs.鈥� The document mentions 鈥渦pskilling鈥� students 鈥� a term that鈥檚 typically used to refer to retraining adults in the workforce, not kids in K-12 schools.

Some education advocates worry that sends the wrong messages to students about the purpose of career-technical education programs, and .

Loyd, the former Biden official, worries that folding CTE into the Labor Department鈥檚 work will lead to an overemphasis on helping students earn industry credentials that .

CTE programs to prepare students for jobs that are 鈥渉igh-skill, high-wage, or in-demand.鈥� A heavier focus on short-term job outcomes could steer more students toward in-demand jobs that don鈥檛 pay very well, Loyd said, such as certified nursing assistants or home health care aides.

鈥淚 love programs like phlebotomy programs in high schools where students can earn meaningful certificates that can get them a job,鈥� Loyd said. 鈥淏ut again, this should be a stepping stone,鈥� she said, not the end game.

Tyszko, of the Commerce Foundation, says time will tell if kids get steered like that. He notes that the Labor Department does have experience connecting young people with apprenticeships, which .

鈥淭hey鈥檙e very capable of supporting a set of activities in the field that promote career awareness and aren鈥檛 directly tied to job placement,鈥� Tyszko said, adding it would be wrong to assume the Labor Department鈥檚 focus on short-term job training 鈥渨ould entirely consume鈥� career-technical education.

The Labor Department also may be better positioned to hold CTE programs accountable for their outcomes in the workforce, and whether they actually match what employers want and need, he said.

Chappelle in Alabama says what programs kids have access to also affects whether they can make an informed decision about their path. The kind and quality of CTE programs offered at schools varies a lot depending on where kids live, and states and businesses share in the responsibility of closing any gaps.

鈥淲e are all working together to make sure we have what鈥檚 available for our students and our citizens to go up in life,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not trying to keep people down. That doesn鈥檛 serve anybody.鈥�

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at .

Missouri high school graduates may soon be able to attend career-certificate programs for free after state lawmakers passed a bill creating a reimbursement process for career and technical education.

The legislation now awaits Gov. Mike Kehoe鈥檚 signature or veto.

鈥淭his will increase (the workforce) astronomically,鈥� said state Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican from Lamar. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 great for the kids who are in those career tech programs. It gives them another avenue to make themselves better.鈥�

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Kelley, who filed the bill in the House, told The Independent that she got the idea for the legislation after talking to a student. He was eligible for the state鈥檚 , which pays for two years of public community college, and he wanted to use the funds to train for his commercial driver鈥檚 license.

But his goal of operating a dump truck business was derailed when he realized that the state鈥檚 program wouldn鈥檛 cover the type of education he needed.

So Kelley proposed a new program 鈥� one with eligibility requirements mirroring the A+ Program but to fund career-certificate programs.

To qualify, students will need to graduate high school with at least a 2.5 GPA, at least 95% attendance rate, 50 hours of unpaid tutoring and achieve proficiency in the Algebra I end-of-course exam. The Missouri Senate added another path to eligibility, opening the door to students with .

鈥淐urrently a student who wants to obtain a certificate or license right out of high school鈥� must pay for these out of pocket because the courses are too short to qualify for the A+ reimbursement program and are not Pell eligible,鈥� Kelley said in a committee hearing in February. 鈥淭hese students are typically ones who are not interested in going to a two-year or four-year school.鈥�

Some students use the state鈥檚 to pay for training and licensing, but the program requires participants to be at least 25 years old. Some students take jobs outside their career path to pass the time and avoid shelling out thousands for their certificate, Kelley said, but this legislation seeks to 鈥渇ill the gap.鈥�

To pay for the grants, the bill sets up a fund managed by the State Treasurer鈥檚 Office. Funding would have to be appropriated annually by the state鈥檚 general assembly, though the fund would also be open for donations.

The state estimates a cost of , according to a fiscal note.

Kelley is 鈥減ositive鈥� that Kehoe will sign the bill given his vocal support for career-tech initiatives.

In his inaugural in January, Kehoe placed an emphasis on career and technical education and .

The legislation has also generated support from advocacy groups. In committee, lobbyists from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Missouri National Education Association spoke in favor of the idea.

鈥淪killed technical talent is a major asset to Missouri employers across all industries,鈥� the chamber of commerce鈥檚 lobbyist Cade Tremain said in a hearing in February.

The legislation received wide support, drawing just two 鈥渘o鈥� votes in the House and one in the Senate. It ultimately passed as part of a with bipartisan support.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.

He won one of 20 available slots in a new 鈥�  just one of three at Accenture 鈥� in a city of 20,000 public high school students. 

Three years later, Brown-Weaver, now 19, has become a full-time employee, earning more than $20 an hour as a package app developer at Accenture.

But a good friend who missed out on the apprenticeships is struggling. 

鈥淏ecause of the luck of the draw that I had (I’m working) 鈥� in the field that I want to be in,鈥� Brown-Weaver told a recent .

His friend, he said, 鈥渨orks part time at Target, making minimum wage.鈥�

鈥淚t’s sad to see that I simply just got lucky that day,鈥� Brown-Weaver said.

Providing high school students like Brown-Weaver a chance to try out possible careers has become a growing focus for families, public officials, schools and even businesses the last several years. 

But all work opportunities aren鈥檛 created equal. 

There’s a hierarchy of experiences that rise in commitment, intensity and benefit for students and providers 鈥�  with career days and job fairs at the low end. At the top end are internships, where students work with adults; and apprenticeships, longer programs where students are paid to work and earn career credentials.

Schools and communities routinely boast of making great efforts to better connect students with real work opportunities, but the reality is these efforts rarely go beyond career exposure events like career days or job shadows.

鈥淭he ultimate internship…a paid experience鈥e still have a long way to go to provide more opportunity for young people to experience those,鈥� said Julie Lammers, senior vice president of American Student Assistance, a non-profit connecting students to career training.

The best estimates available suggest five percent of students or less have the chance for the gold standard of work experiences 鈥�  apprenticeships or internships. 

At the request of 社区黑料, the U.S. Department of Labor compiled data showing a little over 10,000 16- to 18-year-olds started apprenticeships nationally last year 鈥� less than a tenth of a percent of the more than 13 million students that age. That鈥檚 including 18-year-olds who started apprenticeships after graduating high school.

It鈥檚 a dramatic difference from European countries such as Switzerland, where more than half of students use apprenticeships to start a career or as a stepping stone to university. Apprenticeships in Switzerland have the attention of Linda McMahon, the new appointee for U.S. secretary of education, who on the day her appointment was announced. 

There are more internships than apprenticeships for high schoolers, but still not many. A 2018 survey of more than 800 students by American Student Assistance, a non-profit that works with students on career choices, showed while 79 percent were interested in trying a work experience, only 2 percent completed an internship in high school.

Though the percentage of employers offering high school internships has, ASA estimates only four to five percent of students actually are participating in internships.

鈥楾hat鈥檚 still a very small number of young people,鈥� Lammers said. 鈥淭hose organizations may only be offering one or two opportunities, so the volume is still not there.鈥�

Lammers said schools are instead adding 鈥渢hings that expose young people to work, but are not necessarily training them in specific skills.鈥�

ASA鈥檚 recent survey found that close to half of employers offer mentorships, job shadowing, open houses and field trip visits 鈥� all valuable experiences for students but that barely scratch the surface of providing  the skills and training needed for the world of work.

Noel Ginsburg, co-chairman of the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 said schools and businesses can鈥檛 stop at just exposing students to careers.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a bad thing,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just not enough.鈥�

鈥淚t’s a lack of understanding what quality actually means when a school says, 鈥榃e have these partnerships with XYZ company, and they come in, they’re helping us in class, and sometimes they’ll donate old whatever (equipment to train with),鈥� Ginsburg said. 鈥淭hat’s not what apprenticeship is鈥ut that’s historically what it has been for them.鈥�

Experts have agreed on a rough hierarchy of work experiences for several years, often distinguishing between those where students 鈥渓earn about work鈥� and those where they 鈥渓earn how to work.鈥�

As a co-written by Advance CTE, the national association of state directors of career technical education, notes, 鈥淲ork-based learning includes a continuum of experiences ranging from less intensive opportunities such as career awareness and career exploration to more intensive opportunities such as career preparation and career training.鈥�

The Advance CTE hierarchy below is similar to those created in 2009 like, a Bay Area non-profit that has worked on career efforts in California and New York. It鈥檚 also similar to those used by nonprofits like Brookings, ExcelInED, ASA or adopted by states such as , , , or , sometimes labeling the top level as career immersion, development or participation.

Some take that hierarchy even farther. As officials in Indiana started developing plans for a statewide expansion of high school apprenticeships they ranked student work experiences with full registered apprenticeships at the top, pre-apprenticeships and other apprenticeships a level below, internships below those and work opportunities that teach students general employability skills a step lower.

The trouble is that while low-level career experiences like job fairs take just a few hours of time for students and businesses, apprenticeships and internships require much more effort from both sides. 

CityWorks DC, the program that organized Brown-Weaver鈥檚 apprenticeship, would like to expand to many more students, but is growing slowly.

鈥淲e definitely need more opportunities and hope to offer more, but one reason there are so few are the systemic barriers that make what we do very resource intensive and challenging,鈥� said Lateefah Durant, CityWorks鈥� vice president of innovation.

She said it can be hard to find students that can commit to working several hours a week and fit that within their high school class schedules. It鈥檚 also hard to find companies willing to take on high school students and train them.

In 2019, the program鈥檚 first year, one of nine companies that took on apprentices backed out. And one of the other Accenture apprentices alongside Brown-Weaver had trouble meeting standards and was dropped.

ASA鈥檚 2023 survey highlighted several common challenges businesses see as they start high school internships, including finding appropriate work for them, devoting staff to training them, scheduling around class schedules and whether students have transportation to work.

Companies are less likely to view high school apprenticeships as a key part of building a workforce than just as a way to give back to the community. Using apprenticeships and internships as a real talent strategy, as they are in Europe, is key to them ever becoming widely available, experts say.

Those findings are in keeping with challenges experts have pointed to as holding growth of internships and apprenticeships back.

Transportation is a big problem for lower-income students, who often need to improve their career chances the most but rarely have their own car. And class schedules, along with extracurricular activities, can be a big hurdle too since they can limit the time a student can spend in a workplace each day.

Indiana is among states trying to overcome these issues. Transportation costs could be covered by new Career Savings Accounts – state grants to students for training expenses. And the state is considering more flexible class schedules, so students can work at an apprenticeship a few days each week.

In many cases, with few companies stepping up to take on interns or apprenticeships, students are placed instead in government offices or with nonprofits that advocate for work opportunities. The D.C. program has apprentices with the Department of Labor and with New America, a left-leaning think tank that is part of the national Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship.

Indiana also placed early apprentices with Ascend Indiana, a non-profit that helped create them.

Schools and communities also lean on experiences that partly simulate or mirror work experience. These can include students doing exploratory summer internships with industry associations or schools that partner with companies so students earn money by doing a project, such as a small coding or marketing task, through school for the company.

Though there鈥檚 no consensus on where these fall on the continuum of work experiences, ASA鈥檚 Lammers said they can be worthwhile, if students are working on real-world problems for employers that intend to use the work product.

鈥淚f it is high- intensity project based learning, where young people are still exposed to a career鈥nd are able to understand that it’s not just sort of an academic exercise鈥� there is huge value in that,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t might not just be the nine-to- five paid experience that we sort of see in an internship, and that might be okay.鈥�

Others look to third parties that the field is calling 鈥渋ntermediaries鈥� to navigate some of the complex legal, liability and training issues, as well as to recruit, select and train students, along with training company staff in how to work with teenagers.

In Boston, the city鈥檚 Public Industry Council helps run paid summer internships for high schoolers, while also running staff training sessions to make sure students and companies benefit. CareerWise acts as an intermediary on some levels. Genesys Works, a non-profit, fills that role in eight regions 鈥� Houston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, San Francisco, Chicago, New York City, Tulsa and Washington, D.C., with Jacksonville coming next year.

Genesys gives students eight-week of unpaid training in the summer after 11th grade before placing them in paid internships for 20 hours a week as seniors. Students are paid employees of Genesys, not the companies, but they work in the offices of companies like Accenture, Medtronic or Target, the latter in corporate offices, not stocking shelves or working a register like Brown-Weaver鈥檚 friend.

鈥淲e’re going to our corporate partners saying, like, what are the roles, entry level roles in your corporate offices that you are filling over and over again?鈥� said Mandy Hildenbrand, chief services officer of Genesys. 鈥淟et’s talk about how we can be a pipeline for that.鈥�

For many apprenticeship advocates, some of the barriers are more about attitudes than real problems. 

鈥淐ulturally, U.S. companies haven’t traditionally viewed themselves as a training ground or an extension of the classroom,鈥� said Ginsburg, founder of CareerWise, the nation鈥檚 largest youth apprenticeship program. 鈥淭here’s a big difference between having an intern look over your shoulder and actually expecting real work from an apprentice.鈥�

He said businesses should recognize that while they won鈥檛 see immediate returns, they will if they are patient and take the time to train students well.

鈥淚t’s hard,鈥� he said, 鈥渂efore it gets easy.鈥�

In this politically charged era, there鈥檚 one thing both parties agree on: the benefits of high school career pathways. 

With strong bipartisan support, career and technical education programs are poised to be a centerpiece of education policy over the next few years 鈥� both federally and in California. That鈥檚 good news for students taking agriscience, cabinetry, game design and other hands-on courses that may lead to high-paying careers.

Education advocates hail this as a boon for high schools. Students enrolled in career training courses tend to have . And business leaders say that strong career education can boost a local economy.

But there are still many unknowns, and some education experts worry that an expansion of career education will come at the expense of college-preparation programs, or lead to a return to 鈥渢racking,鈥� in which schools steer certain students 鈥� often low-income students 鈥� toward careers that tend to pay less than those that require college degrees.

鈥淭his could be a great opportunity for career and technical education, but we have to do it right,鈥� said Andy Rotherham, co-founder of Bellwether, a nonprofit educational consulting organization. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot at stake.鈥�

Funding is a primary question mark. While Republicans strongly support career education, it鈥檚 unclear if that enthusiasm will translate to more money 鈥� especially if Congress eliminates the Department of Education, as President-elect Trump has vowed to do. 

Career education classes can be some of the most expensive programs in a school district. Supplies, up-to-date equipment, teacher training, smaller class sizes, operation costs and students鈥� certification exams can cost millions, and the costs only increase over time. Schools spend 20%-40% more to educate students in career programs than they spend on those who aren鈥檛, .

Most federal funding for career education comes from a 1960s law meant to improve career education. But that funding has not kept up with the escalating costs. Last year Congress allotted $1.4 billion, which was distributed to states through grants. California received $142 million, and supplemented that with an additional $1 billion.

鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful to see this bipartisan support, but we鈥檇 like it to lead to continued investment,鈥� said Alisha Hyslop, chief policy, research and content officer at the Association for Career and Technical Education, an advocacy group. 

Career education and tracking

Career and technical education has waxed and waned since its inception in the early 20th century as a way to prepare students, usually from working-class or immigrant families, for jobs in skilled trades.

For decades, most high schools in the U.S. had some form of vocational education. Those programs came under scrutiny in the 1980s and 鈥�90s as some complained about tracking practices that left many students without the option to attend a 4-year college because they hadn鈥檛 taken the required coursework.

Partly in response to that criticism, former President George W. Bush鈥檚 No Child Left Behind Act in the early 2000s encouraged schools to promote college for all students. As a result, many schools cut back their career education offerings and added more advanced academic classes.

Then the 2008 financial crisis hit. High unemployment coupled with the soaring cost of college led schools to revive their career training programs, but with less tracking. Schools started encouraging all students to take career education classes, and the classes themselves were updated. Welding and auto shop were joined by computer science, graphic design, environmental studies, health care and other fields. In California, students are encouraged to take a career pathway as well as the required classes for admission to public 4-year colleges, although last year only about 11% of students completed both, according to .

Welders vs. philosophers

Career and technical education is a focal point of , the conservative policy roadmap written by the Heritage Foundation as well as the Republican party education platform and President-elect Trump鈥檚 nominee for education secretary, Linda McMahon. McMahon headed a pro-Trump political action group called America First Action, whose policies include an  in K-12 schools. The Republican platform reads, 鈥�(We) will emphasize education to prepare students for great jobs and careers, supporting 鈥� schools that offer meaningful work experience.鈥�

Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump鈥檚 nominee for Secretary of State, put it more succinctly: 鈥淲elders make more money than philosophers. We need more welders and less philosophers,鈥� .

Career education has also been a priority for Democrats. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and the Legislature have all promoted career education. In 2022 Newsom created the Golden State Pathways program, a $470 million investment in high school career education, and followed up a year later with the , outlining a long-term vision. Newsom described it as 鈥渁 game changer for thousands of students.鈥�

In California, the goal is to , and tie pathways 鈥� sequences of two or three classes 鈥� to the local job market. For example, a  at a high school near the Port of Long Beach includes classes in global logistics and international business. A pathway at Hollywood High trains students for jobs in the entertainment industry. 

More ties to business?

But some educators worry about the fate of career education if the Department of Education, which administers the Perkins Act, is eliminated. Project 2025 suggests moving it to the Department of Labor, where it would likely have stronger ties to business and fewer ties to education organizations. That could impact whether pathway programs continue to have academic components, or include college preparation classes.

鈥淏usinesses love CTE because it socializes one of their big costs. Taxpayers are paying to train their workers,鈥� said David Stern, education professor emeritus at UC Berkeley who鈥檚 an expert on career education. 

Hyslop shares that concern. 

鈥淐ertainly CTE has connections to the economy, but at its heart it鈥檚 an education program. It鈥檚 about preparing students for their future, whatever that future may be,鈥� she said.

A broader question may be whether the push for career education is part of a backlash against college generally. College enrollment  for a decade, coinciding with a .

Meanwhile, Trump has proposed big cuts to higher education, and has often expressed disdain for what he described as colleges鈥� leftward tilt. Project 2025 calls for the government to place trade schools on equal footing with 4-year colleges.

鈥淭his new interest in CTE captures the anti-elitist sentiment of the time,鈥� Stern said. He added that preparation for college does not have to conflict with preparation for careers, and some programs, such as the , prepare students for both. 

Rotherham agreed. 鈥淥n the right, there鈥檚 definitely antagonism toward college,鈥� he said.

But they both said regardless of the politics behind it, a national focus on career education could be transformative 鈥� if it doesn鈥檛 railroad students away from college opportunities. Ideally, students can gain career experience in high school, while also learning poetry and civics and other important academic subjects, Rotherham said.

鈥淧ower is having choices,鈥� Rotherham said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we want for kids. The option to change their mind if they want.鈥�

This was originally published on .

Indiana is the latest state to work with ETH Zurich 鈥� where Albert Einstein once studied 鈥�  to develop ways to break down barriers between educators and business so that career training can be a large part of a reinvented high school experience.

Indiana government, business and education officials  鈥� like those in Alabama, California, Colorado, Washington State, New York City and Washington, D.C. 鈥� have spent the last few years working with Ursula Renold, the former head of the Swiss vocational system.

Now a professor at ETH, Renold鈥檚 highly-regarded Center on the Economics and Management of Education and Training Systems, known as CEMETS, earns rave reviews and advises companies and officials around the world.

A broad Indiana coalition including legislators, the state community college Ivy Tech, the Indiana Department of Education and Indiana Chamber of Commerce have visited Switzerland under CEMETS鈥� direction. Committees of executives from several industries have also taken trips to see Swiss companies and schools in their field.

The coalition expects to release a statewide plan to expand youth apprenticeships 鈥� potentially from 500 today to 50,000 in 10 years  鈥� in September. 

“College, of course, is very important, and it will continue to be important,” said Claire Fiddian-Green, President and CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, which has paid for and is leading some of the work. “But we know that it’s not serving the majority of students in Indiana today.鈥�

鈥淲e are trying to grow another great pathway that allows for upward mobility for young people in our state and also meets the demand for skilled labor that employers have been struggling to find for a long time,鈥� she said. 

That vision includes creating thousands of apprenticeships in fields such as health care, manufacturing and information technology, which are common in Europe. Such apprenticeships would add to the more traditional ones in the U.S. in the construction trades. 

Among potential changes coming to Indiana based on the Swiss system are letting 11th and 12th graders work part time while attending school part time; and letting businesses have a say in which work skills schools teach students.

The plan will likely call for high school students to receive credit toward graduation from their work and training experiences, a change already being discussed at the department of education as it debates new diploma requirements.

Indiana already has a pilot Modern Youth Apprenticeship Program that started in 2021 to let high school juniors and seniors earn money working in businesses, such as AES Indiana and pharmaceutical company Roche, through their first year in college. Nearly 500 students have worked as apprentices in the three-year program.

That program will soon expand to four other communities across the state, but officials want to grow it even more.

鈥淲e鈥檝e really kind of hit the accelerator,鈥� said Robert Behning, the Indiana House education committee chairman.

Annelies Goger, a fellow at the Brookings Institution who researches career training, has traveled to Switzerland with Indiana officials for research on how the state, along with Colorado and Alabama, is breaking ground in trying to bring apprenticeships to a large scale.

鈥淚 am struck by the level of cohesion and shared vision in the state across many of the key leaders in workforce, education, the legislature, and the chamber,鈥� Goger said. 鈥淐EMETS has played a critical role in creating the space and time for these leaders to work together and align around how they plan to tackle several challenges with student success.鈥�

Day 1 of our Summer Institute was a hit!

鈥� Chair of Education Systems (@CES_zurich)

The top challenges the Indiana coalition has identified and are looking to Renold and the Swiss for solutions include high school class schedules that interfere with work, a lack of public transportation for students to get to jobs without a car, and businesses鈥� willingness to train large numbers of students 鈥� not just a few as a charity effort.

Perhaps the biggest will be having competitors in each field partner to find common skills they all want new employees to have, so apprentices can train for an entire industry, not just a single employer.

The Swiss have solved many of these issues, at least to a far greater degree than the U.S. About two thirds of students in Switzerland participate in apprenticeships as part of their education. Though attending university can still be the most prestigious path, apprenticeships are respected and are often combined with college by students who want both theoretical and practical training.

The Swiss also have no reluctance in having high-school age students as apprentices as Indiana is considering. Many Swiss apprenticeships start as early as age 15, not after high school when most start in the U.S. Swiss companies view working with young people as a chance to attract new talent, not the risk and bother many American companies do.

The Swiss system also gives companies a say in what skills schools teach in return for taking on responsibility and the expense of co-training teenagers. 

Fiddian-Green said she was sold on the potential of Indiana schools and businesses cooperating to help students and themselves after attending a summer seminar in 2019 that CEMETS runs every year. Teams from around the world spend the week of the seminar  touring businesses and schools, then work with Renold鈥檚 staff to try and better grow training programs back home.

Fiddian-Green said visiting training centers that Swiss businesses create just for young people and seeing how competing companies can agree on what students need to be taught to succeed in that industry, not just their own company, was eye-opening.

鈥淵ou start to have light bulbs go off after you’ve been there about three days, because it all starts to kind of click together,鈥� she said.

Noel Ginsburg, the Colorado businessman who created the CareerWise youth apprenticeship program in Colorado in 2016 had a similar experience. He credits Renold and the CEMETS summer seminar with showing him how apprenticeships succeed for so many students and  inspiring CareerWise, which has served nearly 2,200 apprentices.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the combination of the theoretical that you learn in the classroom, where there’s discussion, but then you see it at scale, which is why CEMETS is powerful,鈥� Ginsburg told 社区黑料.

JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and his wife Judith are also fans of Renold, CEMETS and the Swiss system after Renold and staff took them to businesses and schools to see it in person. Chase now hires CareerWise apprentices in its New York City offices and is an outspoken backer of CareerWise expansion in that city.

Judi Dimon told 社区黑料 she was impressed with how engaged Swiss apprentices were, even those still of high school age. And she saw how seriously companies took apprenticeships as a recruiting and talent pipeline strategy, not a charity program as many youth training programs are.

鈥淚t was not鈥� a corporate responsibility project that is paid for by the (company) foundation,鈥� Dimon said. 鈥淚t is core to the businesses themselves, and to the culture and to their ability to attract young talent.鈥�

That shift of viewing high school work experiences as a real business strategy and not just a public relations effort is cited by many experts as crucial to expanding high school internships or apprenticeships to a large scale anywhere in the U.S., not just Indiana.

Making a return on investment case to businesses is one of the key issues that Indiana teams have been working on with CEMETS staff.

Others include adapting high school schedules so that students can fit in real work time, perhaps by having some days of only work and some devoted to school as in Switzerland.  

The state also wants each industry to develop standards for what employees should know across many companies, so that training can be common across an industry. Having committees of competitors from Indiana building a plan together with CEMETS is a step toward the industry associations that determine training in Switzerland.

鈥淭hose associations actually create a curriculum with input from the education system,鈥� Fiddian-Green said. 鈥淭hat’s a huge critical function that makes it possible for employers to engage in apprenticeship, and that’s what we don’t have in Indiana.鈥�

About 500 educators will be receiving up to $8,000 in bonuses this month, but some school leaders aren鈥檛 convinced it will be enough to solve Hawaii鈥檚 shortage of career technical education teachers. 

CTE teachers lead courses ranging from broadcast media to engineering in middle and high schools across the state. The classes, which emphasize hands-on learning and projects, provide students with skills and training they can use in their careers. 

While CTE isn鈥檛 new to Hawaii, it鈥檚  in recent years, especially under the leadership of Department of Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi. But as schools expand their CTE offerings, the teacher workforce may be unable to keep up due to low pay and barriers to licensing.

The DOE said it doesn鈥檛 collect data on the CTE teacher shortage, but approximately 25 positions remain unfilled for the 2024-25 school year. , the Hawaii State Teachers Association said it received estimates from DOE that half of CTE classes in Hawaii schools are taught by teachers who don鈥檛 have a corresponding license in the subject area. 

Hawaii licenses educators to teach CTE classes in six areas: arts and communication, business, health services, industrial and engineering technology, public and human services and natural resources. 

The DOE is now providing one-time bonuses to CTE teachers that range from $2,500 to $8,000 based on individual qualifications. Lawmakers also passed a bill this year that would ease teacher licensing requirements and allow those with a high school diploma and relevant work and education experience to qualify for a CTE teacher license.

Kimberly Saula, vice principal at Farrington High School, said she鈥檚 hopeful these initiatives will grow Hawaii鈥檚 CTE teacher workforce. But, she added, many CTE teachers have years of experience in fields like healthcare or auto mechanics, and it鈥檚 challenging to convince these professionals to make the move to the classroom. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to make teaching high school students appealing,鈥� Saula said. 

鈥淭he Shortage Is Huge鈥�

Keala Swain worked in tourism and hotel management for 10 years before coming to Waimea High School on Kauai. Swain, who now teaches CTE classes in computer science and information technology, said he loves working with students and sharing the knowledge he gained from the technology courses he took in college.    

But, he said, leaving his career in the hotel industry required him to take a pay cut of roughly $20,000 in his first year as a teacher. 

Because CTE courses can require specialized knowledge in fields like architectural design or nursing, schools try to recruit industry professionals to teach their classes. But switching to teaching can result in a significant drop in workers鈥� salaries. 

鈥淭he shortage is huge,鈥� Waimea High School Principal Mahina Anguay said, adding that she recently lost a CTE teacher to a job at the Navy base that could likely pay twice his teacher salary. 

The lengthy process for licensing may also deter those considering a CTE teaching job. 

The pathway to receiving a teacher license in CTE can vary depending on a person鈥檚 educational background and work experience, said Erin Yagi, who oversees Leeward Community College鈥檚 CTE licensure program. 

Individuals need to show relevant experience or coursework in the CTE licensing field they鈥檙e pursuing and take approximately three to four semesters of coursework preparing them for teaching, Yagi said. Many people seeking their CTE licenses are working adults who need to balance their coursework with other responsibilities, she added.

鈥淚t is challenging to be a full-time employee and go through a program,鈥� Yagi said. 

LCC is one of three programs in Hawaii that can prepare teachers for CTE licensure. Last school year, the college recommended 10 students for licensure. 

Some Hawaii schools are feeling the direct consequences of the teacher shortage. 

Baldwin High School Principal Keoni Wilhelm said he hopes his Wailuku campus will become a wall-to-wall academy by 2025, meaning that all students will be on a college or career-focused pathway with classes and internships preparing them for jobs in culinary arts, business and more. 

But Wilhelm said it鈥檚 been difficult to recruit teachers as the school expands its CTE offerings. For example, he said, Baldwin previously had a healthcare pathway and took advantage of its close proximity to Maui Memorial Medical Center. But when the health diagnostic teacher left in 2021, the school had to dissolve the pathway and hasn鈥檛 been able to find a replacement since. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 not for a lack of trying to recruit,鈥� Wilhelm said. 

Potential Reforms On The Way

When DOE announced it would issue bonuses for CTE teachers this spring, Swain was caught off-guard. He hadn鈥檛 expected the extra money, he said, although he appreciates the extra $4,000 he鈥檚 receiving this month. 

But he鈥檚 not sure if the bonuses of up to $8,000 will be enough to attract more people to teaching.

This isn鈥檛 the first time DOE has used monetary incentives to address the state鈥檚 ongoing teacher shortage. In 2020, the  for educators who taught special education or Hawaiian immersion classes or were in schools located in hard-to-staff areas. 

Special education teachers received the largest bonus of $10,000 each year. For the first two years after the bonuses began, the recruitment and retention of special education teachers improved.  

But Andrea Eshelman, deputy executive director and chief negotiator of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, is skeptical of DOE鈥檚 strategy to address the CTE teacher shortage. Currently, the bonuses are only one-time payments for individuals who taught CTE classes in the 2023-24 school year. 

In the , legislators appropriated $2.5 million to continue CTE bonuses in the 2024-25 school year, but Gov. Josh Green has yet to sign the bill.

Most teachers aren鈥檛 willing to change their jobs based on the uncertain possibility of receiving a salary boost in the future, Eshelman said. 

鈥淒o we think it鈥檚 going to move people? Perhaps,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut for now, they were told it鈥檚 just a one-time thing.鈥�

Legislators also passed a bill this session that could make it easier for industry workers to transition to teaching. 

Currently, prospective teachers need at least an associate鈥檚 degree to earn a CTE license. Under , those with a high school diploma and relevant education and experience in their respective industry could also be considered for a CTE license. 

Not all trades require a college degree, and the change in requirements could provide more opportunities for more industry workers to become teachers, said Felicia Villalobos, executive director of the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board. 

If the bill becomes law, she said, individuals would still need to take classes on the principles of education and teaching in order to receive a CTE license. HTSB would also need to define what level of industry experience and training could qualify an individual for licensure.  

Green has until July 10 to veto bills or sign them into law.

At Waimea High School, building and construction teacher Dante Casillas said it took him about 18 months of classes and teaching observations to receive his CTE license. Teaching CTE classes for the past two years has been rewarding, he said, adding that his students are leaving a legacy on the school by building risers and picnic tables that their classmates and the community can use. 

鈥淗aving that kind of impact and be able to say, 鈥業 did this,鈥� that鈥檚 a cool thing for everybody,鈥� Casillas said. 鈥淭he kids are just proud of their work.鈥�

Civil Beat鈥檚 education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.

This was originally published on .

Walker Reese was picking the company where he wanted to launch his career.

Reese, now 19, had a huge head start on his career through a groundbreaking program: The German-inspired Georgia Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (GA CATT) starts students in Coweta County south of Atlanta as apprentices sophomore year, likely the youngest members of any apprentice program in the U.S. Other areas of Georgia are trying similar apprenticeships, just not as young as in Coweta County, where German-based companies have American plants.

By starting early, Reese finished his three-year apprenticeship as a maintenance technician as he finished high school last spring and walked into a full time job at Blickle Wheels and Casters in the city of Newnan. 

鈥淚鈥檇 consider myself much further ahead than most,鈥� said Reese, who bought himself a new car and started renting a house soon after graduating. 鈥淥ne, I already have a degree. Two, I鈥檓 living on my own paying my own bills at 18…19 comfortably , and three I鈥檝e gained knowledge and expertise that most won鈥檛 have until they鈥檙e mid to late twenties.鈥�

鈥淭he people who waited until they were out of high school are a little behind now,鈥� he added.

Apprenticeships 鈥� programs in which students are paid to train and work at the same time 鈥�- have been common in the U.S, for years in construction trades such as carpentry and plumbing. But apprenticeships in other fields like manufacturing have started to grow only in the last decade or so. 

And apprenticeships in construction generally start after high school, which often leaves high school students in unpaid pre-apprenticeships or career technical education programs at their high schools. Even those CTE programs typically don鈥檛 fully start until junior year.

But in Europe, starting a path toward university or a career is standard by age 15. German-based companies like Blickle or the Grenzebach Corp., which have plants in Newnan, a town of 43,000 about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta Hartsfield Airport, think nothing of taking on students that young. By starting as sophomores, students can finish the three year program by graduation. 

So German companies in the Newnan area partnered with the German American Chamber of Commerce and local CTE centers to launch the apprenticeships in 2016. Other areas of Georgia are starting to join the program, just at older ages. Though companies like the concept of apprenticeships, they still have reservations about starting students so young.

鈥淲e don’t start early because we (Americans) thought of starting early,鈥� said Mark Whitlock, CEO of the Central Education Center of Coweta County, the school that handles much of the apprentice training. 鈥淲e started early because the German companies said 鈥榯his is the way we do it in Germany鈥� and that’s what they needed.鈥�

Whitlock said a change in state law passed in 2015 plus some additional cooperation from the U.S. Department of Labor allowed younger students to work in manufacturing facilities as part of the program.

Scott Chahalis, CEO of Blickle USA, which started near Stuttgart, Germany, said it鈥檚 natural to have 15 year olds working in his building while also taking classes.

鈥淭hey do this in Germany,鈥� Chahalis said. 鈥淚t’s not like they’re making necessarily a life altering decision, because they’re going to get their high school degree. Maybe they want to go to college. So go to college. You want to be a lawyer, doctor? Go. Go do that.鈥�

鈥淏ut you’re going to get out of the classroom, which is actually a big plus for many kids,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hey’re not going to be in the high school classroom sunup to sundown. They’re going to have the best of both worlds. It is kind of exciting to come to this building, and basically be treated to the real world.鈥�

He鈥檚 so happy with Reese, his first apprentice, that he鈥檚 adding two more.

For Reese, starting young was no issue at all, even if it meant shifting to a year-round program and losing summer breaks.

鈥淚t depends on the person and if they鈥檙e willing to make the mature decision to start young and sacrifice some summers to be successful in life after high school,鈥� he said.

And he prefers hands-on work, so he was happier learning to adjust wheels with lathes or test how smoothly they can carry heavy loads than taking high school classes.

鈥淚’m not a pen and paper type person or sitting and typing on a computer,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel like that’s harder on me mentally.鈥�

So far, 34 students have started the program as sophomores. Many are still in the three-year program, but five have finished it, earning their diplomas and German manufacturing certifications. They have also earned credits toward associates degrees in precision manufacturing. 

Other areas of Georgia are starting to join the program, though they have not made the leap to starting at 15, at least not yet. Solmax, a company that makes synthetic fabrics for environmental projects northeast of Atlanta, just added its first apprentice a year ago. But since company policy was to only let people over 18 work on the factory floor, they had him do personal training projects until he turned 18.

Wendy Davis, the company鈥檚 human resources director, said the company may relax its policy and start with juniors soon as CTE schools in the area add more training.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to remember, we’re still in the beginning,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淪o we’re learning as we go.鈥�

Lodi鈥檚 position as a region that grew and sold its grapes 鈥� rather than making its own wine 鈥� was solidified in the 1920s during Prohibition. When other winemaking regions crumbled, Lodi flourished by capitalizing on one provision in the Volstead Act of 1919 that permitted every head of household to make up to 200 gallons of fermented fruit juice for their own consumption. In the blink of an eye, Americans across the country all became winemakers. Lodi鈥檚 farmers quickly turned their businesses from growing grapes for local winemakers and co-ops to growing and shipping grapes to home winemakers across America 鈥� and the model stuck.

Over the past three decades the crop value has quadrupled in Lodi, and the number of independent wineries is edging up, in an effort to encourage wine tourism and local winemaking 鈥� and, in effect, creating a career pathway for area students. The nonprofit group San Joaquin A+ partnered with the Lodi Unified School District, Delta College and the Lodi Winegrape Commission to design a technical education curriculum and internship pipeline to prepare students for careers in the winegrowing, winemaking and hospitality industries. The program, Growing Futures, is now in its first year, and has been described as an innovative solution to the skills gap, a financially rewarding career path for many young people, and a much-needed economic boost for family farms.

The conversation included Maryland state Sen. Alonzo Washington; Dr. Julius Davis of Bowie State University; Dr. Daria Valentine, principal of the Academy of Health Sciences at Prince George鈥檚 Community College; Dr. Jean-Paul Cadet of Prince George鈥檚 County Public Schools; and Sidney Foster, a sophomore at the academy. 

Panelists talked in depth about the Academy of Health Sciences at Prince George鈥檚 Community College, an innovative high school that partners with colleges and universities to prepare students for career paths in medicine, teaching and other fields. 

鈥淚 need people to understand that career and technical education is not vo-tech, it鈥檚 not vocational education,鈥� said Dr. Jean-Paul Cadet, who leads the Career and Technical Education department in Prince George鈥檚 County Public Schools. 

鈥淚f anything, you can consider it the evolution or the reimagining of project-based learning, because what really happens is students are able to find areas of interest and passion and then they鈥檙e able to link up with industry specialists, and [professionals will] say, 鈥榯his is what it looks like to operate on a body, this is what it鈥檚 like to build a building from the basement to the roof, this is what it鈥檚 like to build a computer from parts on a table,鈥� 鈥� he said.

Related coverage 

New Nonprofit Teaches Philly Students CTE Skills 鈥� and Pays Them for Their Work

How Rethinking Industry-Recognized Credentials Can Help Boost Student Success

After School, Students Are 鈥楶laying the Whole Game鈥� in Activities From Drama to Sports to Debate. Backers of Project-Based Learning Ask: Why Can鈥檛 All of Education Look Like This?

That will be the key question on the table Wednesday at 2 p.m. Eastern, when the Progressive Policy Institute and 社区黑料 present a special live streamed panel on the 鈥淔uture of High School,鈥� featuring Maryland state Sen. Alonzo Washington; Dr. Julius Davis of Bowie State University; Dr. Daria Valentine, principal of the Academy of Health Sciences at Prince George鈥檚 Community College; Dr. Jean-Paul Cadet of Prince George’s County Public Schools; and Sidney Foster, a sophomore at the academy. 

Panelists will examine a unique partnership between the Prince George’s County district and Bowie State, focused on developing strong college and career pathways for high-schoolers in the field of medicine. 

or refresh this page at 2 p.m. to watch the presentation right here. 

Background reading: Some recent coverage about how high schools and career preparation are changing:

• Changing Course: Indiana Looks to Make High School Curriculum More Focused on Career Paths
• Innovation in Iowa: Teens Are Spending Less Time in Classrooms, and Succeeding More 鈥� Here鈥檚 How
• Big Investment: $2.5M Gen Z Program Aims to Expand Career Options for High School Students

Chavez, 17, a recent graduate of College Bridge Academy, a charter high school in the city of Compton in Los Angeles County, steps back and nods while his instructor watches him.

This 鈥渢iny house鈥� on top of cement blocks in the parking lot of the non-profit Los Angeles Education Corps. is coming along nicely, as is the construction training of Chavez and more than a dozen classmates in the group鈥檚 summer program for youth.

This five-week paid program is one of five projects serving more than 200 county youth, many in charter schools or academic recovery programs, in the Los Angeles County Skilled Trades Summers program, which is privately funded by Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, a program of the Smidt Foundation.

The sites, which teach skills ranging from solar panel installation to welding, to auto repair, are all efforts to at least nibble away at a skills gap facing Los Angeles and the nation by teaching students introductory skills that businesses are craving.

Students earn a paycheck on par with typical summer retail, fast food or camp counselor jobs and leave with marketable skills, references and often industry credentials.

There has been a national push in recent years to highlight a shortage of people with Career Technical Education, formerly known as vocational training. Several training models like apprenticeships and internships 鈥� and even a hybrid called 鈥渁pprenternships鈥� 鈥� have sprouted across the country to fill that gap. Summer jobs that align with potential careers are another promising option.

Kendra LaRose, who organizes Chavez鈥檚 lessons, said she wants to give students who might not be able to study trades at their high schools a chance to earn skills and certifications that can land them better jobs. Even students that decide to go to college instead of construction, she said, still gain useful skills in the program and learn what employers expect in the workplace.

鈥淚 want to help them be productive in their communities, and be hired for work in their communities,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome of them do this (as a career). Some decide it鈥檚 not for them. But what the takeaway is, you learn what it means to work a job.鈥�

The Skilled Trades Summers program, now in its second summer, is just one of several training efforts for young people. Though still small 鈥� just 200 students in a county of 10 million people 鈥� it meets two key criteria for helping low-income youth: competitive wages and teaching valuable skills.

Unlike volunteer summer internships that only help the affluent, the program pays the area鈥檚 minimum wage of $16 an hour; and avoids making students pick between training for the future and helping families pay immediate bills.

Students also learn skills employers need, often earning industry certifications and benefitting from lessons on workplace communication and etiquette.

Chavez, the son of Mexican immigrants, plans to attend community college this fall to study software engineering, he said he chose this program to have career options and because the skills might help him personally.

鈥淟ike if something were to mess up in my own house, you know, it鈥檇 be something that I know how to fix,鈥� he said.

After several weeks of building this tiny house and trying out carpentry, plumbing and electrical work, he鈥檚 considering building on these lessons to become a general contractor.

鈥淚 grew a liking to it, and the skills I learned from it,鈥� he said.

Carlos de la Cruz, also 17 and also a 2022 graduate of the same high school, said most of his friends are working retail jobs this summer, but he鈥檇 rather be working with his hands. He said he has liked most skills he has tried this summer and will keep working in construction while he figures out a long range plan.

鈥淚 liked plumbing,鈥� he said. 鈥淎lso, like carpentry, finishing work鈥 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 any part of it (I don鈥檛 like) other than, obviously, being in the hot sun, but that鈥檚 not so important.鈥�

Dave Lefkowith, who is leading Harbor Freight鈥檚 training work in Los Angeles after working with a similar Louisiana program called Jump Start, said there is a real need for teaching more of these skills, but a challenge in expanding them in schools. The equipment and needed space are expensive, he said, other than at full Career Technical Education schools and the tasks need more time than a typical high school class period allows.

So he鈥檚 experimenting with mobile training labs at dedicated sites like in this summer program that have whole days to work with students without competing with academic classes.

鈥淚 think the best immediate potential for expanding high quality skilled trades training and education鈥ests in making better use of non-traditional times. non-traditional venues as well,鈥� Lefkowith said. 鈥淐ertain high quality outcomes are possible but outside of the normal school day, where the barriers to achieving the same accomplishments are very substantial.鈥�

For standard construction trades, building a tiny house 鈥� an 8脳15  in the L.A. Education Corps. parking lot 鈥� fits the bill. It will eventually be moved for a still to be determined owner. For solar installation skills, students split training time between offices of the Grid Alternatives non-profit solar provider near downtown and Alliance for Community Empowerment offices in Canoga Park. Students also travel to two homes nearby that are receiving free solar panels to work with and observe GRID Alternatives employees installing them.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e not working on a mock roof,鈥� said Michelle Fuentes-Miranda, the Alliance鈥檚 founder. 鈥淭he actual roof is an actual install. They get to see the family鈥檚 faces that are going to receive this gift.鈥�

Even traditional school officials, who are ramping up their own efforts to connect students to trades, say more programs like this are useful. Esther Soliman, administrator of the Los Angeles Unified School District鈥檚 work experience department, said she has not yet learned details of the program, still in post-COVID infancy, but called it a 鈥渇antastic idea.鈥�

鈥淐onstruction is going crazy right now in the area,鈥� she said. Helping kids learn about a possible career in a paid internship, she said, is a 鈥渨in-win situation.鈥�